Ticket fight commences

Angry over the principal's move to limit the number of people who can attend graduation, an Aliso Niguel High School parent has launched an online petition to move the event offsite, setting the stage for a fight between parents and administrators.

With a yearly rush of family and friends wanting to attend high school graduations across Orange County, many schools have opted to move their cap-and-gown ceremonies to outside venues. Those who refuse, like Principal Chris Carter, have to contend with angry parents.

Carter has set a limit of five free admissions per graduating student for this spring's ceremony at the high school football stadium. Tickets for additional attendees will be available for purchase, Carter said, but long waits in years past before the ceremony and the sheer number of possible attendees preclude allowing everyone to bring as many people as they want for free.

“Our goal is to try to manage the amount of people that attend our graduation,” Carter said, adding that Aliso Niguel High expects around 625 graduates this spring. “If everybody brings 10 to 12 people, there's really nobody that can handle that. There needs to be some balance.”

When asked about Carter's decision, Capistrano Unified School District spokesman Marcus Walton initially said, “the fire marshal stepped in and gave them a cap on the number of tickets they have to attend graduation,” but he later retracted that statement and said the fire marshal was not involved.

The decision to cap the number of people who can attend graduation led parent Samantha Lutz to start a
Change.org petition to gather support for moving the ceremony to “a venue that will accommodate ALL family members,” the petition reads. So far, it's garnered more than 225 signatures.

But while officials have considered off-site locations, Carter said he thinks students want to have their graduation at the school. Accommodating the large number of people who want to attend graduation events each spring isn't a problem unique to Aliso Niguel High. Seven schools, including San Juan Hills High School, hold ceremonies at UC Irvine's Bren Events Center, said Interim Director Danny Spitzer.

Those who want to see Tesoro High School students in their caps and gowns head to Orange Coast College's LeBard Stadium in Costa Mesa. The school has had graduation off-site for eight years, said Daniel Burch, who has been principal since the school started 12 years ago. Tesoro offers five free tickets per student, with additional tickets available for purchase.

“Every school has its own culture, and the culture at my school is that the larger family unit wants to attend,” Burch said. “When it's not limited, you can go a little deeper into the family tree.”

Jason Spielfogel, husband of petitioner Lutz and an eight-year resident of Aliso Viejo, said the best idea is to move the high school's ceremony off-site, so large families like those of his stepdaughter Genevieve Segura can all see this important moment.

“Like many families, we are a blended family, which means Genevieve has twice the number of grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., who want to share in this great day and accomplishment,” Spielfogel said.

And what about the extra tickets for purchase? Spielfogel said he thinks families will be split between the high school stadium seating and temporary seating. “Families are going to be split up,” Spielfogel said.

Aliso Niguel High School will announce how to purchase extra tickets in the near future, the school's website said.